First Trimester Nutrition: The 3 Diet Changes You Have To Make

June 20, 2014 00:00

At Nine Naturals, we firmly believe that everything that goes on and in your body during pregnancy can impact your health and your baby’s health. We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with registered dietitian and nutrition expert Samantha Lynch to bring you a 3-part Pregnancy & Nutrition Series, focusing on nutrition for every trimester of pregnancy!

The first trimester is very important during pregnancy, both in terms of the baby’s development and how pregnancy can affect moms to be. During this crucial time, it’s important to:

Get Plenty Of Folic Acid: Ensure you are taking at least 400 mcg of folic acid to prevent neural tube birth defects including spina bifida, anencephaly and chiari malformation. These brain and spinal cord defects develop in the first 28 days after conception, long before many women know they are pregnant. Foods with folic acid and folate include:

Dark leafy greens

Asparagus

Fortified Grains including bread & crackers

Legumes

Eat Fiber-Rich Food: Suffering from constipation? You are not alone. It is common in pregnancy because hormones slow the rate of digestion, allowing for more nutrients to be absorbed by you and your baby. The following tips will help fight constipation:

Include fiber in each meal and snack:

Fruits during breakfast & as snacks

Vegetables during lunch & dinner

Whole Grains

Chia & Ground Flaxseeds

Stay hydrated and drink water between meals to keep things moving

Speaking of moving, exercise! It will aid the digestion process!

Alter Your Diet To Help Prevent Morning Sickness: If you are one of the unlucky women who suffer from morning sickness, aka “all day sickness” here are some nutrition tips to ease naseau and ensure that you are getting the proper nutrition for you and your little one:

Eat small frequent meals, rather than large meals many hours apart. The key is having something in your stomach at all times

Avoid spicy meals

Drink liquids between meals, rather than with meals

Drink small amounts of liquids throughout the day to avoid dehydration

Leave some saltines on your night table and munch on a few before getting out of bed

Lemon, ginger, watermelon has been known to help relieve the nausea

Try to rest and get enough sleep at night

Samantha Lynch, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian who caters to everyone from engaged couples, pre-post natal woman, athletes, celebrities to students and stay-at-home moms. Based in Manhattan, she holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition from NYU. After graduating in 2009, she started her own nutrition counseling practice to fulfill her dream of helping people live longer, happier and more energetic lives without compromising their social schedule. Samantha has been featured as a nutrition expert in Cosmopolitan Magazine, Refinery29, Shape.com, The Daily Meal, & OK TV and was also featured as herself in a national Boost commercial airing in both the US and Canada. Samantha is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Greater New York Dietetic Association. She lives in Manhattan’s Union Square with her husband Roger, 3 year old daughter Lucy, and is expecting Baby #2 in July 2014.